Where Does A Person's Spirit Go When They Die?

[Silvermist]

Does it stay in the ground with the body until resurrection day or with the ashes wherever they may be? Or, does it go with God immediately and return to the body when it's resurrected?

[ChristianCoffee]

Does it stay in the ground with the body until resurrection day or with the ashes wherever they may be? Or, does it go with God immediately and return to the body when it's resurrected?

My answer is this, in Luke 23 vv 39-43

39And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us.

40But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation?

41And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss.

42And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.

43And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.


I think we stand before Him as soon as we die. I know htere are other verses, but this was the first one to come to mind.

In Him,

CC

Romans 8:16

[percho]

Does it stay in the ground with the body until resurrection day or with the ashes wherever they may be? Or, does it go with God immediately and return to the body when it's resurrected?

Permit me to ask.

For we have known that if our earthly house of the tabernacle may be thrown down, a building from God we have, an house not made with hands -- age-during -- in the heavens, YLT 2Cor5:1


Those pronouns are speaking of we and our as being in Christ. Yes or No?
However what would they be speaking of as us as an individual person? The total being? Yes, no or something else.

Lets look at the words in bold. What is the earthly house that is thrown down, (dissolved KJV, WEB, HNV, ASV destroyed NKJV, NIV, ESV, RSV, DBY)?
What is the tabernacle? Does the tabernacle reside in the earthly house? When the earthly house is thrown down or dissolved or destroyed, where does the tabernacle then reside?
Is the building from God the house not made with hands another residence for the tabernacle? If yes, then when does the tabernacle receive this house?

What gives life to a person? What makes it a living breathing person instead of a dead person? What left Jesus when Jesus died? What happened to his earthly house? Where did he tabernacle or was his tabernacle?

[markedward]

The Scriptures (OT) more or less suggest that the 'spirit' or 'breath' (same word in Hebrew) returns to the God who gave it.

My view is that Scripture teaches that, at death, man is dead. (It sounds redundant, but just stop and think it over for a second.) Many Christians believe that, at death everyone continues to live in a disembodied state. To me, dead is dead. Body plus spirit makes a living soul. Return the body to the dust, return the spirit to God, the person is dead: they cease to be.

But with the resurrection of Jesus, we who have faith in God are brought to life with Jesus, raised up to life with him, raised up to the heavenly places with him.

So for the 'intermediate' state, between death and resurrection of our bodies, having died mortal and being raised immortal, the faithful are 'present with the Lord', meaning in heaven. I don't know if it is 'in spirit', or 'in soul', or a 'spirit body'... just that they're with him but awaiting the resurrection.

[Sojourner55]

As far as believers are concerned, the Apostle Paul answered this question quite clearly:

So we are always confident, even though we know that as long as we live in these bodies we are not at home with the Lord. For we live by believing and not by seeing. Yes, we are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these earthly bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord. So whether we are here in this body or away from this body, our goal is to please him. For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in this earthly body.
(2 Cor 5:6-10 NLT)

For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better. But if I live, I can do more fruitful work for Christ. So I really don’t know which is better. I’m torn between two desires: I long to go and be with Christ, which would be far better for me. But for your sakes, it is better that I continue to live. (Philippians 1:21-24 NLT)

According to Paul, when we leave our bodies behind in death, we go to be with the Lord. I'm confident that he knew what he was talking about.

[Raybob]

Steven knew where his spirit was going when he was martyred.

Act 7:59 And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.
Act 7:60 And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

[Luciano Vinci]

"the spirits of just men made perfect" is in the context of the heavenly church, the new Jerusalem where God dwells and Jesus the mediator of the New Testament and all the angels of heaven, so I would have to conclude that the spirit of just men are already in heaven upon death (Heb. 12:22-24).

[Silvermist]

Thank you for your answers, it's a great comfort to me.

[percho]

Are the dead in Christ, Dead? and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep.

1st for one second or one nano second does anyone on this board think the Thessalonians were concerned about the bodies of there dead friends. They were concerned about Larry, Curly and Mo, their dead friends. Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep. Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead. Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. It was Lazarus who had died.
Are the dead in Christ dead or not?

2 Cor 4:14 YLT knowing that He who did raise up the Lord Jesus, us also through Jesus shall raise up, and shall present with you. ------This thought of death and resurrection continues into the next chapter.

Did Jesus die the death assigned to the first man Adam for the eating the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil? Did He (God the Father see Gal. 1:1) raise the Lord Jesus from the dead?

From my post #3 What left Jesus when Jesus died? What happened to his earthly house? Where did he tabernacle or was his tabernacle?

Three days and three nights after Jesus had said, "Father into your hands I commend my spirit", did the Father renew Jesus with the spirit Holy (Acts 2:33 & Titus 3:5 and resurrected the soul of Jesus from Hades (Acts 2:31) and raised/resurrected his once earthly house uncorrupted no more to return to corruption (Acts 2:31 Acts 13:34)

When Jesus was raised from the dead by God the Father was he given a building of God a house not made with hands? A prophesy John 5:26 For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself;

Was this done By God the Father to Jesus the Son via resurrection?

2C5:5 Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing [is] God. What selfsame thing? What was done for Jesus will be done for us. How? By resurrection. How do we know this?
2C5:5,6 who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit. Therefore [we are] always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body,(of flesh and blood) we are absent from the Lord: Compare this to 1 Cor 15:49-51 we understand whether dead or alive to be in the presence of the Lord (in the kingdom of God) we have to be changed into our house from heaven which is immortality which comes at the resurrection. Compare Luke 20:36 Neither can they die any more (immortality) for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection.

Correct me if the following is incorrect.

From whence are the dead in Christ, those in the church who have passed away raised/resurrected? Let's say one finds himself in Hades. How did he get there? He had to die did he not? Therefore would death not be the gate into Hades? Jesus said he would build his church and the gates of Hades would not prevail against her. Does this not imply the Church would pass through the gates but they would not prevail over her? Speaking concerning those resurrected in to the kingdom of God, the church, in 1 Cor 15 this is said, O death where is thy sting, O Hades where is thy victory?

Was Jesus correct did the gates of Hades not prevail against her?

[steelcurtain76]

I have always looked at the response Jesus gave the thief on the cross (today you will with me in Paradise) and the story of the Rich Man and Lazarus (Paradise or Torment) for my answer to this question.

[DDGresham1]

Doesn't Revelations say something about a period where all will be judged according to their works? Something along the lines of the just being judges for Christ and those that aren't so clear in the matter going before them?

[Raybob]

Doesn't Revelations say something about a period where all will be judged according to their works?

It speaks of a moment, not a period.

And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works... And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
(Rev 20:12-15)

Something along the lines of the just being judges for Christ and those that aren't so clear in the matter going before them?

Nothing along those lines but it does say that judgment has been given (already been judged) to those that reign with Christ.

And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
(Rev 20:4)

There are many modern 'churches' that teach this reigning of saints with Christ isn't really a current situation for a long period of time (since Pentecost) but is some future event that lasts literally, for exactly one thousand years. I suppose those that teach this sort of thing really don't realize what "reigning with Christ" is all about. They seem to think like Christians did before Pentecost, when Jesus walked, when "thy kingdom" had not fully come yet.

[Watchman]

Does it stay in the ground with the body until resurrection day or with the ashes wherever they may be? Or, does it go with God immediately and return to the body when it's resurrected?

John 6:63a ...It is the Spirit who gives life...

Romans 8:2 ...the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.

1 Corinthians 6:17 ...he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him.

Ephesians 2:1-6 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus...

Since we have the Spirit of the Lord resident within us and melded with our spirit, since He is the eternal Spirit of Life, and since we now sit at the right hand of our Father in Christ, there is only one place our spirits will ever be...in His presence. Our physical bodies will return to dust, but we are now and ever will be with Him. Spirits are not bound by time and space as are bodies of flesh and blood.

blessings,

Watchman

[divaD]

Nothing along those lines but it does say that judgment has been given (already been judged) to those that reign with Christ.

And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
(Rev 20:4)

There are many modern 'churches' that teach this reigning of saints with Christ isn't really a current situation for a long period of time (since Pentecost) but is some future event that lasts literally, for exactly one thousand years. I suppose those that teach this sort of thing really don't realize what "reigning with Christ" is all about. They seem to think like Christians did before Pentecost, when Jesus walked, when "thy kingdom" had not fully come yet.

I want so badly to respond to this , but I guess I better not, since I suspect it would get us off topic big time if I did.

[percho]

The OP is a very biblical correct question. Where does a person's spirit go when they die? When they die they are dead and their spirit, that is the spirit of life from God that had made them a living person returned to God who gave it. Jesus, The life of him returned to God and Jesus died.